Long Live
by Wallace the cat
Summary: With that one beautiful song and seeing her beautiful face one last time, Harry was finally able to move on and let her go. "Long live the walls we crashed through  All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you- but if God forbid, fate should step in


_**Long Live**_

What if... in the war, Hermione died? What if after that, Harry refused to go back to his oldself, and refused to have anything to do with Hogwarts? But, What if one day he's forced come visit Hogwarts and find Hermione's ghost there waiting because Harry won't let her go? Taylor Swift song-fic.

* * *

Harry sighed impatiently, waiting for everyone. Today will be the first day, Harry stepped his foot back on the dreadful place... _Hogwarts. _Hogwarts finally finished rebuilding, everything will _almost _be the same.

They're going there, to see, to reunite, and also to celebrate their victory in 1998 against the darkness.

Everyone was excited, except him. He sighed as he turned to the magical calendar sitting on top of Arthur's desk in the living room in the Burrow.

_2__nd__ May 2001_

The Hogwarts Battle 3 year anniversary. Why do people make anniversaries for a dreadful day? Sure they won the battle, Sure after that war, everyone found peace. Sure no one worries about Lord Voldemort anymore. But the painful memories? What about the deaths?

_What about remembering that it's Hermione's death anniversary? _

_What about remembering that it's the day I lost my first love? _Harry thought bitterly, fighting back his tears.

* * *

_2nd May 1998._

"_RUN!" Harry shouted again, but the others needed no telling: They all scattered, and not a second too soon, for next moment the creature's vast foot had fallen exactly where they had been standing. Harry looked round: Ron and Hermione were following him, but the other three had vanished back into the battle._

"_Let's get out of range!" yelled Ron as the giant swung its club again and its bellows echoed through the night, across the grounds where bursts of red and green light continued to illuminate the darkness._

"_The Whomping Willow," said Harry, "go!" Somehow he walled it all up in his mind, crammed it into a small space into which he could not look now: Thoughts of his terror for all the people he loved, scattered in and outside the castle, must all wait, because they had to run, had to reach the snake and Voldemort, because that was, as Hermione said, the only way to end it —_

_He sprinted, half believing he could outdistance death itself, ignoring the jets of light flying in the darkness all around him, and the sound of the lake crashing like the sea, and the creaking of the Forbidden Forest though the night was windless; through grounds that seemed themselves to have risen in rebellion, he ran faster than he had ever moved in his life, and it was he who saw the great tree first, the Willow that protected the secret at its roots with whiplike, slashing branches._

_Panting and gasping, Harry slowed down, skirting the Willow's swiping branches, peering through the darkness toward its thick trunk, trying to see the single knot in the bark of the old tree that would paralyze it. Ron and Hermione caught up, Hermione so out of breath she could not speak._

"_How — how're we going to get in?" panted Ron. "I can — see the place — if we just had — Crookshanks again —"_

"_Crookshanks?" wheezed Hermione, bent double, clutching her chest. "Are you a wizard, or what?"_

"_Oh — right — yeah —"_

_Ron looked around, then directed his wand at a twig on the ground and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The twig flew up from the ground, spun through the air as if caught by a gust of wind, then zoomed directly at the trunk through the Willow's ominously swaying branches. It jabbed at a place near the roots, and at once, the writhing tree became still._

"_Perfect!" panted Hermione. "Wait." For one teetering second, while the crashes and booms of the __battle filled the air, Harry hesitated. Voldemort wanted him to do this, wanted him to come. . . . Was he leading Ron and Hermione into a trap?_

_But then the reality seemed to close upon him, cruel and plain: The only way forward was to kill the snake, and the snake was where Voldemort was, and Voldemort was at the end of this tunnel. . . ._

"_Harry, we're coming, just get in there!" said Ron, pushing him forward._

_Harry wriggled into the earthy passage hidden in the tree's roots. It was a much tighter squeeze than it had been the last time they had entered it. The tunnel was low-ceilinged: They had had to double up to move through it nearly four years previously; now there was nothing for it but to crawl. Harry went first, his wand illuminated, expecting at any moment to meet barriers, but none came. They moved in silence, Harry's gaze fixed upon the swinging beam of the wand held in his fist._

_At last the tunnel began to slope upward and Harry saw a sliver of light ahead. Ron tugged at his ankle._

"_The Cloak!" he whispered. "Put the Cloak on!" Harry nodded and put the cloak over him and Ron, not even realizing that Hermione is not even there_

"_Hermione" Harry whispered, panicking And then he heard voices coming from the room directly ahead of them. Harry and Ron edged right up to the opening and peered through a tiny gap left between crate and wall._

_Hermione was there. Standing shakily. Her wands a few feet away. 'How on earth did she get there?'_

_Voldemort swiped the air with the Elder Wand. It did nothing to Hermione, who for a split second seemed to think she had been reprieved: But then Voldemort's intention became clear. The snake's cage was rolling through the air, and before Hermione or Ron or Harry could do any- thing more than yell, it had encased her, head and shoulders, and Voldemort spoke in Parseltongue._

"_Kill."_

_There was a terrible scream. Harry saw the love of his life's face losing the little color it had left; it whitened as her brown eyes widened, as the snake's fangs pierced her neck, as she failed to push the enchanted cage off herself, as her knees gave way and she fell to the floor._

"_I regret it," said Voldemort coldly. He turned away; there was no sadness in him, no remorse. It was time to leave this shack and take charge, with a wand that would now do his full bidding. He pointed it at the starry cage holding the snake, which drifted upward, off Hermione, who fell sideways onto the floor, blood gushing from the wounds in her neck. Voldemort swept from the room without a backward glance, and the great serpent floated after him in its huge protective sphere._

_He did not know what he felt as he saw Hermione's white face, and the fingers trying to staunch the bloody wound at her neck. Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak and looked down upon the girl he loved, whose widening brown eyes found Harry as she tried to speak. Harry bent over her, and Hermione seized the front of his robes and pulled him close._

_"Go..." She whispered_

"_NO, Please, Don't die... I love you, please don't go, please I can't let you go... Hermione," He cried along with Ron who looked like he's going to faint any time soon._

_Hermione looked as though there was no blood left in her, her grip on Harry's robes slackened._

"_Please..." She whispered, Harry kept crying and shook his head_

_The green eyes found the brown, but after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty. The hand holding Harry thudded to the floor, and Hermione moved no more._

_(a/n originally it was Snape's dying scene in the book, but I changed Snape to Hermione)_

* * *

He would rather be the one dead. It's not fair that Hermione died.

"mate..." a familiar voice called Harry back to earth. Harry refused to look at Ron, knowing that he'll say everything that Harry doesn't want to hear. "You have to let it go-"

"SHUT UP RON, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE, Ron... It's my fault she's dead, when _I _saw her second away from being bitten by Nagini, I didn't do anything, I stood there _watching-"_

"_I _was there, and you can't do anything-"

"I CAN Fight him, but instead, I watched as Nagini kill her." He yelled, feeling like he's going to burst out crying in a few more seconds.

"_**BLOODY HELL **_Harry, .GO, THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, IT'S DONE, AND BESIDES, Do you think Hermione would want you to be like _this?_" Ron screamed, grabbing the attention of everyone around, Fred and George _(a/n I can't let JK Rowling kill Fred, so... he's alive!) _Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Percy, Charlie, _Ginny. _"RUINING YOUR LIFE By MOURNING over her over and over and over is NOT What she wants"

"NOT REMEMBERING HER WON'T MAKE HER HAPPY Either" To this statement, Ron can't help but punch his best mate right in the face, before they could start a serious fight, Fred rushed to Ron and grabbed him while George grabbed Harry.

"SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND HARRY, I can NEVER Forget her"

"THE WAY YOU'RE ALL HAPPY ON HER DEATH ANNIVERSARY, DOESN'T LOOK LIKE-"

"I'M JUST LETTING HER GO, I MISS HER TERRIBLY AND I STIlL FEEL LIKE CRYING OVER HER, But I won't, because she won't WANT that." He snapped,

"YOU JUST Don't GET IT-"

"DON'T GET WHAT? I get that you love her, I get that she means a lot to you, but she's GONE Harry, you HAVE to let her go." Ron screamed, turning even redder than before, his eyes are getting watery because of the fighting, the memories of Nagini and Hermione flashed clearly in his mind once again.

"I CAN'T LET HER GO-"

"WHAT ABOUT GINNY? Are you going to keep this going FOREVER? Mourning over your _**dead **_lover? Ginny doesn't DESERVE a man who can't let go of his dead lover-" Harry flinched

"**I love your sister, but Hermione is my first love and I CAN'T LET HER GO"** Ginny looked down, fighting her tears, it's just something about Harry that she just have to understand.

Finally, she looked up and shouted "STOP FIGHTING." Everyone looked at her "The celebration is going to start in 10 minutes, we should go" She said harshly, then continued "Ron, enough. Don't bother Harry," She said, walking over to the fireplace and flooed out of the Burrow.

Soon, everyone followed her one by one. Harry was last, and he sighed as he said "_Hogwarts"_ He arrived in a second in the new floo network in Headmistress McGonnogal's office. He saw Headmistress McGonnogal waiting for him there.

"Mr. Potter," She nodded with a small smile on her face. He nodded back, not even bothering to force even a small fake smile on his face. "It's great to see you. After everything you have done, we couldn't thank you enough." He shook his head.

"It's alright." He nodded

"Shall we? The Weasleys left to the Great Hall earlier," She mentioned, while walking out the Headmaster tower. He simply nodded, not really in the mood to open his mouth to speak.

He walked along with her quietly, until finally he stopped dead in his crack when he saw what's in front of him.

"The students are- Mr. Potter?" Minerva asked, confused. She followed his eyes and understood.

The first floor corridor was filled with pictures of their battle, that is most likely extracted from someone's mind and was shot as a picture.

Pictures, pictures, pictures, _more picture_s. And there was a picture, larger than the rest, it was the Golden Trio together, Harry in the middle, and next to him was Ron and Hermione... _Hermione._

"I'll give you a moment." Minerva fake coughed from behind him. He didn't mind as she continued to walk to the Great Hall. _Whose bright idea was this?_ Harry thought bitterly, a REMINDER of the WAR? Who wants that?

He turned and there was also another picture, Hermione and him, kissing passionately in the hall right before they continued on to the war _(a/n in the book, it's originally Ron and Hermione's kiss, but this is my fic, I can change it y'know)_... probably from Ron's memory.

He traced the picture, "_why her, why can't I die instead?" _He whispered to himself harshly, letting a tear fall from his face. The corridor seems quieter than before, but there was music... music...

"**I still remember this moment**

**In the back of my mind**" A familiar voice sang, he turned... it was Hermione's ghost... She was there, just smiling sadly while singing

"**The time we stood with our shaking hands**" She sang, pointing to the next picture, where they stood nervously, their hands shaking in nervousness. ¼ of them wasn't ready for the war. "**The crowds in stands went wild**"

"**We were the kings and the queens**" She sang, looking at the picture of them together in awe"**And they read off our names**" She continued, looking at the picture of Harry and Ron getting the praise from the people in the ministry

"**The night you kissed me like you knew our lives  
****Would never be the same**" She sang, looking back at the picture of them kissing, it was the most beautiful picture in the whole _corridor of fame _

"**You held your head like a hero On a history book page**" She smiled, floating to the other side of the corridor, admiring the picture of Harry and his bravery to fight in the war**  
**

"**It was the end of a decade  
But the start of an age**

**Long live the walls we crashed through  
All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you  
I was screaming, "long live all the magic we made"  
And bring on all the pretenders  
One day we will be remembered**" She sang powerfully, spinning around the corridor, flying, trying to get Harry to smile happily, not sadly.

"**I said remember this feeling  
I passed the pictures around**" She motioned for Harry to follow her

"**Of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines  
Wishing for right now,"** She smiled sadly, looking at a picture of them practicing in the room of requirement, ready to fight.

**"We are the kings and the queens  
You traded your Quidditch snitch for a crown**" Hermione smiled, while Harry continued to sadly smile

**"When they gave you our trophies  
And you held them up for our town**" She smiled, pointing to yet, another picture of Harry and Ron at the ministry.

"**And the cynics were outraged  
Screaming, "this is absurd"**" She rolled her eyes about the Death Eaters in Azkaban probably screaming that.

"**'Cause for a moment a band of teens in ripped up jeans got to rule the world**" She grinned while Harry laughed, genuinely happy.

**"Long live the walls we crashed through  
All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you  
I was screaming, "long live all the magic we made"  
And bring on all the pretenders  
I'm not afraid**" Her voice was beautiful, listening to it for at least one more time, made Harry happier than ever, and the fact that he saw her... _the fact that she's here_... thought Harry.

"**Long live all the people we moved  
****I had the time of my life  
Fighting darkness with you**" She grinned, pointing to the picture of them fighting the Death Eaters.

**"I was screaming, "long live the look on your face"  
And bring on all the pretenders  
One day we will be remembered**" She sang again, while flying away with Harry of course trailing behind her closely. Absentmindedly they reached the entrance hall, where there's other pictures, but they skipped it and got straight into the Great Hall, where all the wizards that fought came to reunite, the Weasleys, the current Hogwarts teachers, the house elves that fought, the centaurs, _everyone _ and every _creature_ was there.

Even though everyone was busy with their own business, everyone stopped immediately and stared at the two, rushing to the sides to give them space.

"**Hold on to spinning around" **She sang oh-so powerfully and loudly while spinning around happily** "****Confetti falls to the ground**" Harry fought his tears, _how can I let this go? After all of this? _ "**May these memories break ?" **She sang to him, while asking the obvious.

"**And you take a moment  
Promise me this:**" She sang softer, both of them raised their hands up and carefully lifting them up so it can be together without touching "**That you'll stand by me forever**" She smiled, he nodded, but she shook her head

"**But if God forbid, fate should step in" **She smiled sadly, floating backwards, away from Harry.**  
**

"**And force us into a goodbye**" She sang, flying further from Harry when he tried to move closer.

"**If you have children someday**" She sang looking at Ginny with a soft loving smile and turned back to him.**  
**"**When they point to the pictures**" She sang sadly.

"**Please tell them my name**" She begged while floating up, but then the song got more powerful and she float backs down,

"**Tell them how the crowds went wild  
Tell them how I hope they shine"**

"You have to let me go," She said, while the music softly plays in the background "Harry, you know that I love you, but you have to move on... I'm dead... and, I can't crossover until you let me go... _please_"

"I love you," He said, tears escaping his eyes. Hermione being a ghost, can only pout and nod sadly.

"I love you, but I don't belong with you... so promise me you'll move on and just please let me go" She smiled sadly and float up to the Great Hall sky.

"**Long live the walls we crashed through  
I had the time of my life with you**" She sang powerfully, the Great Hall sky stormed into the beautiful white with streaks of golds, the candlelight shined even brighter, and her outfit transformed into a long white dress.

"**Long, long live the walls that crashed through  
All the candlelight shined just for me and you  
And I was screaming, "long live all the magic we made"  
And bring on all the pretenders  
I'm not afraid**

**Singing long live all the people we moved  
I had the time of my life  
Fighting darkness with you**

**And long, long live the look on your face  
And bring on all the pretenders  
One day, we will be remembered**" She sang softly, looking up, she saw the light, that lets her crossover. She looked back down to everyone else who is either crying softly or smiling sadly or starring at her astonished.

Lastly, she looked at Harry who is, forcing his tears to stop, and smiled at her. She smiled back, he finally let her go, and so, it's finally her time to leave.

* * *

**Summer 2013**

Harry laughed as he heard his sons and daughter bickering about who can show him who-knows-what first while running down the stairs.

"Alright! Who wants to show your dad what first?" Ginny asked laughing, while entering the room with her both of her hands on her hips.

James took the picture and showed it to his dad "Is _this_ aunt Hermione? _**THE**_ Aunt Hermione?" He said pointing to the picture of her fighting a death eater before her murder. Ginny lost her fear of Harry breaking down, he kept his promise to Hermione about letting her go and moving on.

"The Gryffindor Princess, the smartest witch of our age, the brilliant fearless lady, the Queen," He smiled,

"I thought Mum was the Queen," Lilly sobbed sadly, Harry laughed and pulled Ginny down onto his lap,

"No, Aunt Hermione's the queen_, __**but**_ your mum will always be _my _Queen," Harry said while he lovingly gaze into her eyes and landing his lips onto hers, followed by the _'eww, dad' _Ginny pulled away and smiled

"I know somewhere in Heaven, she's smiling, and proud of you."

"I know," He nodded before pulling her even closer, kissing her lovingly.

* * *

Thank you for everyone who's reading this, and for everyone who's going to review...  
I love the this Taylor Swift song... it's so inspiring, the story is better in my head though, but I'm proud of this, _kind of_ .  
I hope you guys enjoy this fic...and... I haven't been here for a long time, **or** write serious stories in my free time, so I'm not really wonderful, but I'm leaving it to you to tell me my mistakes... no **flames** please.

I'm really tired, and... again.. THANKS :)


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